Feed mechanism for carding-machines.



h- 718,130? PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903.

H. KEMP. FEED MECHANISM FOR CARDIN-G MACHINES.

, APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2, 1902.

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No. 718,130. PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903.

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FEED MECHANISM FOR GARDING MACHINES.

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No. 718,130. ,PATENTBD JAN. 13, 1903. p H. KEMP.

FEED MECHANISM FOR GARDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2, 1902.

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' NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY KEMP, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FEED MECHANISM FOR CARDlNG-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,130, dated January13, 1903. Application filed August 2,1902. Serial No. 118,036. (NomodeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY KEMP, a subject of the King of Great Britain,and a resident of Newton, in the county of MiddleseX and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in FeedMechanism for Carding-Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to feed mechanisms for carding-machines of thegeneral type illustrated and described in United States Letters PatentNo. 667,708, granted to me February 12, 1901; and it consists in certainimprovements which by an improved mode of mechanical applicationaccomplish a result in part analogous to that whichis accomplished byand described in connection with my inventions and improvementsillustrated and described in United States Letters Patent No. 701,487,granted to me June 3, 1902.

My present invention has for its object the provision of new andimproved means whereby feed-rolls of graded diameters may be applied tothe hubs of actuating-gears without necessitating change of the saidgears and whereby also the separating movements of any of the saidrolls, due to the passage between them of stock of different thicknessesor of varying thickness, is prevented from interfering with the properinteraction of the actuating-gears.

In carrying out this invention I employ a pair of roll-actuating gearsand so proportion and modify the gears as to accomplish the foregoingobjects without requiring the employment or intervention of anyadditional mechanism.

In the drawings hereto annexed and which illustrate my presentinvention, Figure 1 shows in plan view a feed mechanism containing myimprovements. Fig. 2 shows in perspective two feed-rolls ofdifferentexternal diameters. Fig. 3 shows the feed mechanism in longitudinalelevation. Fig. 4 shows, on an enlarged scale, the details of thefeed-rollactuatingmechanism; and Fig. 5 shows the saidfeed-roll-actuating mechanism in crosssection through line w a: of Fig.4. Fig. 6 is a detail showing a form of gear suited for use in my feedmechanism.

A detailed description of the construction and operation of theprincipal parts of the substantially the same as the similarly-let teredparts in the two said patents.

The functions and operation of the feed mechanism as a whole aresubstantially the same as those of the mechanisms described in the saidpatents, and I therefore pass at once to a description. of theimprovements which constitute my present invention.

It is highly desirable to provide a feed mechanism of the generalcharacter above recited with means whereby the rate of feed of the stockor sliver may be changed or graded to satisfy varying requisitions andconditions. Change in the feed-roll-actuatin g gears for thispurpose hasbeen suggested, but in practice is inconvenient and ineffective, unlessunusually complicated constructive provisions are made. In order toaccomplish this result, I provide a number of change feed-rolls ofgraded external diameters in pairs, such as L L, Figs. 2 and 5. The hubsor spindles I I, which are secured to the actuating-gears S S,correspond in external diameter with the internal diameters of the rollsL L, which are invariable, no matter what may be the dimensions of theirexternal diameters. Binding-screws s s serve to attach the feed-rolls tothe hubs or spindles I. The variations in the diameters of thechangerolls L L enable the operator to grade the rate of feed of stockto suit his varying purposes.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the mechanical improvements and arrangementswhereby I am enabled to utilize any one of a number of graded pairs offeed-rolls without altering the train relation of the actuating-gearsare shown in detail. One or the other of the gears S S is in mesh withthe rack K and derives movement therefrom by reason of' the traverse ofthe slotted carrier or traveler E and imparts movement to the othergear, which is removed from direct mesh with the said rack. The gears SS are mounted, respectively, upon studs C 0, provided with the shouldersF F, which in turn are mounted on the carrier and slide in guides H H,which are pivoted in the rocking plate G, and spiral springs f f,adjusted by screws h h, exert their pressure upon the shoulders F F, andthus urge the gears S S always toward their position of most intimatemesh. The springs ff are centered and properly held in operativeposition against the shoulders F F of the studs 0 O by the pinsjj,fitted within suitable pockets in said shoulders, and provided withmandrel-like projections and 70. Obviously, if desired, one or both ofthe springsff could be omitted and the sliding studs 0 0 could beadjusted in their guides at any desired degree of separation and held inadjustment by set-screws, or one of the studs could be stationary andthe other adjustable. In Fig. 4 the gears S S are shown as pressedtogether about one-half the length of the teeth, as when a medium-sizedpair of change-rolls L L is mounted on the mechanism and no stock orsliveris being fed thereby.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a detail of actuating-gears having teeth S and Sadapted to permit a wide range of convergence and divergence of thegear-axes and still insuring a rolling rather than a frictional contactbetween the surfaces in contact. The circular spaces 8 between the teethafford room for the teeth to move unrestrained when the gears are closetogether, and the curved sides of the teeth effect a rolling contact.While this or other special forms of gear-teeth may be desirable, 1 donot limit the scope of my invention to any particular form of gearteeth.Any form of elongated gear-teeth which will remain in mesh and operatewhatever the distance between t-he gear-axes within predetermined limitsis within the scope of my invention.

The axes of the studs 0 0 stand with relation to each other at orbetween two extremes of separation, being nearest to each other when thesmallest pair of graded feed-rolls is applied and no sliver intervenesbetween the same and farthest from each other when the largest pair offeed-rolls is applied and when the heaviest stock or sliver is passingbetween the said rolls. When all the desirable rates of feed speed andall the usual graduations and variations in the weight of stock aretaken into account in the design and proportion of the feedingattachment, these two extremes of separation are so far apart that aspecial modification of the gears S S is resorted to in order to insurethe maintenance of mesh between the same at and between both of theseextremes of separation. The ordinary gearsuch, for instance, as is shownin my two patents above mentioned-is incapable of fulfilling thiscondition, and I have heretofore adopted the coutrivances shown in myPatent No. 701,487 to insure the maintenance of train relation betweenthe driving and driven feed-roll gear. My present improvement, however,is characterized by the direct application of gear modification to thefeedroll gears themselves. I construct the feedroll gears S S with teethof unusual length, modifying the usual shape even to a degree which maybe regarded as distortion, and make them of such pitch or separationfrom each other that the intermeshing teeth of the gears will enter andleave the tooth-spaces when the two gears are in their most intimatemesh and so that also the widest extreme of separation between thegear-studs O C will be incapable of entirely withdrawing the two sets ofinteracting teeth from mesh with each other. The length of the teeth,and consequently the depth of the tooth-spaces of the gears which Iemploy in the construction of my improvements, is equal to or greaterthan the distance between the extremes of separation of the gear-axes,represented in this case by the studs 0 C. If this condition or rule isobserved in the construction of the feed mechanism herein firstemployed, the operation thereof will be continuously satisfactory.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a feed mechanism for carding-ma chines of the character described,the combination of a traveler, actuating mechanism therefor, a rack, apair of gears in train mounted in yielding hearings on the traveler, andmeans whereby said gears will engage the rack one at a time, said gearsbeing adapted to receive and carry feed-rolls of various dimensions,substantially as described.

2. In a feed mechanism for carding-machines of the character described,the combination of a traveler, actuating mechanism therefor, a rack, apair of gears in train mounted on the traveler and capable of movementtoward and from each other, and means whereby said gears will engage therack one at a time, said gears being adapted to receive and carryfeed-rolls of various dimensions and being provided with elongatedteeth, whereby the gears are kept in train in any extreme position dueto their movement toward or from each other, substantially as described.

3. In a feed mechanism for carding-machines of the character described,the combination of a traveler, actuating mechanism therefor, a rack, apair of gears in train mounted upon the traveler and capable of movementtoward and away from each other, and means whereby said gears willengage the rack one at a time, said gears being adapted to receive andcarry feed-rolls of various dimensions and being provided with teeth ofdepth greater than the extreme range of separation of the gear-axes,substantially as described.

4. In a feed mechanism for carding-maarations of the gear-axes,substantially as dechines of the character described, the combiscribed.nation of a traveler, actuating mechanism Signed by me at Boston, countyof Suffolk, therefor, a rack, a pair of gears in train and State ofMassachusetts, this 19th day of 5 mounted in yielding bearings on thetraveler, July, 1902.

and means whereby said gears will engage the rack one at a time, saidgears being adapt- HARRY KEMP ed to receive and carry feed-rolls ofvarious Witnesses: dimensions, and being provided with teeth of ROBERTOUSHMAN, 1o depth greater than the extreme range of sep- FRANK S.HARTNETT.

